STAND. COM. REP. NO. 51-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1837

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Housing and Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1837 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to encourage the counties to adopt zoning and regulatory policies that allow for greater housing opportunities for residents at all income levels by requiring each county to submit annual reports to the Legislature on its efforts to reduce or remove certain regulatory barriers to housing.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Ohana Program Foundation, Hawai‘i Association of REALTORS, and one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Maui Chamber of Commerce.

Your Committees find that the complexity and length of housing development requires continual review of the policies and laws that affect housing development, particularly in areas that stymie the construction of affordable homes in the State. In its deliberations, your Committees recognized the need to also involve the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, entities that are critical to addressing affordable housing in communities, to provide their input and review their efforts to reduce or remove certain regulatory barriers to housing and efforts to streamline affordable housing development.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring that the county reports:

(A) Include the county's recommendations for amendments to the Hawaii Revised Statutes, Hawaii Administrative Rules, and Hawaii State Constitution to support the county's efforts in producing additional affordable housing; and

(B) Reflect the counties' utilization of financing programs to more efficiently deliver affordable housing;

(2) Requiring the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and Hawaii Public Housing Authority to:

(A) Review the county reports submitted to the Legislature and make recommendations to the Legislature and their respective boards on streamlining affordable housing development; and

(B) Incorporate the information in their respective housing studies;

(3) Requiring the counties to submit their reports to the Legislature in the first year of each fiscal biennium and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and Hawaii Public Housing Authority to submit their reports to the Legislature in the second year of each fiscal biennium;

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1837, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1837, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Water & Land,

____________________________ DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair

____________________________ NADINE K. NAKAMURA, Chair